Goal
This week, we’re going to discuss how keeping track of our activities can help give us insight into our day-to-day lives.
What the list looks likes
Every day, we should keep an agenda of what we plan to accomplish. This list should abide by our life goals as well as any pressuring matters. Additionally, this daily agenda should take into account skills we’d like to master and how we can progress in our skill mastery.
That being said, we should keep an additional account. This list tracks not what we want to do but what we’re actually doing. For example, if we have a list to go to the store, we should add all the things we do besides going to the store: watching TV, cleaning dishes, etc.
By maintaining a record of what we do, we can better understand what we’re doing with our time which will help us continue on track to accomplishing our goals.
This is different from a journal
Always journal regularly: it is a key to self-knowledge
A journal chronicles actions and thoughts for the day while this record chronicles just actions.
You’re not analyzing why you did what you did – you’re just keeping a schedule.
Therefore, this isn’t a diary. However, this record keeping aspect can become part of a memoir. For example, you can write the things you’ve done for the day then write your conclusion at the end. It’s entirely up to you.
However, do not mistake a record for self-awareness or analysis. You can’t develop maturely by merely looking at lists of tasks nor can you reflect on a sterile schedule of your duties.
Only through intentionally, developed self-reflection we can improve, and that is only accomplished through traditional journaling.
We can’t keep track of everything
Keeping track of what we do throughout the day can help us better utilize our time.
My title is slightly misleading. It can be challenging to keep a list of everything that you do, all the time. Therefore, we don’t need to keep track of every action that we do, and we don’t need to do it every day. Similar to journaling, it’s okay if we overlook this writing now and then, however, it is essential to keep track of what we’re doing.
Personally, I keep a tally of what I want to do for the day. If I diverge from that agenda, say watch a YouTube video, I’ll write that task down. This also works for, say spending time with the family or cleaning. Through this tacking, I can see, in real time, how I’m spending my life.
Maybe I didn’t finish my book because I had a surprise family event to go to or because I needed to make dinner. By keeping a list, I’m able to see where my time is going and make adjustments as need be.
Keeping a schedule of our activities gives us insights into our actions and what we’re doing. Try to keep a listing of what you’re doing so you can better plot out your day.
Actionables
- Consider how you determine what you’ll do each day. Does your list of activities adhere to your life goals?
- Do you regularly accomplish your daily goals? Why or why not?
- Start keeping track of what you’re doing and start filtering out activities that don’t help you while increasing activities that do help you.
Please remember that it’s important to do the actionables. You’re not on this earth to simply read but to do. To become an individual, you must act more than you consume.
*Image credit to Unsplash.
